Kansas City-area resident John George Todd III took the stand in his federal trial on Friday, adamant that he had no idea he was not permitted inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Todd said he didn’t know Vice President Mike Pence would be in the Capitol, despite former President Donald Trump mentioning Pence in a speech that Todd wanted to attend so badly that he traveled by car from Missouri to Washington and, once there, climbed a tree to get a better view.
He claimed police officers opened an emergency exit to let the crowd into the building and that a police officer told him he could watch the certification of the Electoral College votes as long as he was peaceful — despite the fact that the Capitol had been closed to the public for months because of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They let us in the building and then at some point we were getting attacked,” Todd said.
Todd, 34, of Blue Springs, faces six charges in connection with the Capitol breach, including two felonies. If convicted on all counts, he could get more than 40 years in prison.